Istanbul: Syrian opposition forms government without the participation of Kurds and women

KurdWatch, August 3, 2016—On July 11, 2016, the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, the largest opposition alliance, formed a new provisional government with eight new minsters at a meeting in Istanbul. A deputy post of the minister president was kept open for a candidate of the Kurdish National Council in Syria. The latter decided on July 13 not to participate in the formation of the government. The reason given was the lacking integration of women as well as members of different ethnic and confessional groups into the government. Another critique was that the supposed seat of government is in a region of Syria controlled by Islamic groups.